Feline Faults
by ChipsAhoyPup
Summary: A black cat, who goes by the name of L, is tied to a tree. He's a genius cat, yet he can't understand why he was abandoned. And when fate brings him with another human, the worst possible thing happens: the two fall for each other. Yaoi, LightxL.
1. Abandonment

**Feline Faults**

**ChipsAhoyPup**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note. Never have, never will. (This doesn't stop me from wishing I did, though.)**

**A/N I came up with this due to the fact that I was drawing something exceedingly similar. It was a picture of Neko!L chained to a tree. I was happy with it, so I stretched out the idea, making it into a comic. At this point, I was excited with the plotline, and so, I decided to make it into a story. And, WA-LA, we have this. Enjoy.**

The streets of Tokyo were fairly empty. Water pooled near curbs, rain dripping consistently against the pavement. Any one who did happen to bear the misfortune of getting caught in the rain possessed an umbrella. The moon was full in the sky, the only source of light besides a few dimly lit streetlamps.

Near the city was a small park. The field was soggy from the rain, the dirt churning into mud. The playground was deserted; not a kid was in sight. Sitting near the playground, a bit farther out in the field, was a giant oak tree. Water droplets shimmied down the branches, eventually sliding off and splashing lightly against the ground.

Underneath the oak tree lay a small, cowering figure, which shivered each time a drop of rain pelted its fur. Said cowering figure was a black cat, its coat slick from the rain. It had no tags or signs of identification. However, it was chained brutally to the oak tree. The chains were long enough so that it could roam around, if needed, but they were short enough so that it couldn't get close to the playground.

The chain was wrapped around its neck in a way that appeared to be constricting its lungs. It coughed every time it made the slightest movement, due to the chain tightening. The remaining chain that allowed the cat to put some distance between itself and the oak tree was currently wrapped around its paws; it wouldn't dare pad away from its shelter in this weather.

But, there was something special about this cat, aside from the fact that it had been abandoned. First off, the cat was a male, and his name (according to his old master) was L. Secondly, this cat was a genius. He understood the whole of the Japanese language, although he couldn't speak it. He also knew some English, since his master had spoken it when ever he was on the phone with a certain person from his work.

Also, L had happened to stumble upon books when he was a kitten. When he had seen the random symbols that were strewn against the pages, he immediately became determined to figure out what they are. And, so, he had taught himself how to read.

All of these things combined clearly stated what a smart cat L was. So it was a mystery as to why his master chained him to a tree. He had done no wrong. He even remembered what had happened right before this new fate was introduced to him:

_L lay on the couch, a small black ball that stood out against the white leather. His master was a very wealthy man. The feline's ear twitched as he eavesdropped on his master's conversation, which was in English, since he was on the phone again. L could only catch a few key words in the sentences that his master was shouting._

"_What… you… I… to…!" Was all L heard. His master's tone of voice was very urgent, making his black fur stand on end. "Okay… but… cat… not…?!"_

_Cat. L heard the word cat. He sat up, ears pricked. He stared at his master intently, eyes as wide as his food bowls. His master cast a sympathetic glance towards him. "Okay… okay…" His master sighed._

_L's master snapped his cell phone shut, cursing quietly. Then, he walked quietly over to L, sat down next to him, and began petting him. L purred with happiness, rubbing his head against his master's shoulder. L glanced up at his master's face… and then, he noticed something. Water was dripping down his master's cheeks._

"_Meow?" L whimpered, tilting his head to the side. He'd only seen his master do this weird action once before. And that was because his wife had left him._

_Without a word, his master got up and left the house, locking the door behind him. L scrambled over to the window, leaping onto the window sill with acute precision. He stared through the glass, watching his master's every move. His master was climbing into his car; he drove off and out of sight as fast as possible, as if running from something. L sighed, shifting into a more comfortable position on the window sill. He closed his eyes, bathing in the sun, letting it lap at his flesh underneath his fur. Soon, he was fast asleep._

_L awoke to the sound of the car rumbling into the driveway. It was extremely dark out. L vaguely wondered why his master had stayed out for so long, but he quickly pushed the inquiry away. His master was home now, and that was all that mattered._

_The door burst open, and his master stumbled in. He reeked of a stench that seemed like a mixture of bad fish and spoiled milk. His eyes were bloodshot, and he looked physically unstable. _

_And, to top that all off, he had an extremely long chain slung over his shoulder._

After that, everything was a blur. All L knew was that he ended up tied to this tree, and his master never came back for him. And it had been two whole days. Hunger gnawed at his stomach, thirst clawed at his throat. He attempted to lap the water out of the sky as it poured down, but that failed miserably; he couldn't get enough on his tongue.

So he took to licking the water out of his pelt. But the fur caught on his sandpaper-like tongue, making him even more thirsty. He eventually gave up, his shoulders sagging, his ears flattening.

He curled up against the muddy ground, squeezing his eyes shut. _I'm sorry, master. Please come back,_ L whined silently. With those last thoughts, he forced himself into an uncomfortable slumber.


	2. Escape

**Feline Faults**

**ChipsAhoyPup**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note. Never have, never will. (This doesn't stop me from wishing I did, though.)**

A loud, shrill scream broke through the darkness of L's slumber. The cat jumped up, fur on end. He glanced around with wide eyes, searching for the source of the scream. It didn't take long for him to spot the young humans that were racing around the playground, screeching with happiness. The fact that L had been scared so easily embarrassed him. He licked his chest as his fur began to lay flat again.

The rain had ceased, and no clouds remained in the sky. The sun glowed brightly, hovering high in the ocean blue sky, drying L's black fur. He noticed that his paw pads were a dull brown, as well as the fur on his underside. He glanced down at the spot where he had previously been sleeping; the mud was slightly stale. He gently pressed his paw against the soil, testing the thickness. He hastily drew back his paw, meowing in surprise. The mud was still soft, and his whole paw had been sucked in.

Unlike other cats, however, L didn't care about his appearance. Most cats would busy themselves by licking the mud out, but L preferred not to. He'd rather have the dirt clinging to his fur than have it sticking to the roof of his mouth. Needless to say, he ignored the uncomfortable feeling of the mud pressing his fur against his flesh.

Instead, for the third day in a row, L passed the time by gnawing at the chain. He rather disliked the flavor of the metal, but if it was the only possible way to escape, he would bite at it all day and night. Anything to escape.

"Woof!" L froze in mid-bite. He knew that sound. It was inevitably a dog, the very thing that all cats were scared of. And L was no exception. There was the sound of stumbling paw-steps rushing towards L. The black cat tensed, listening closely, waiting for the perfect moment…

_Now!_ L yowled inwardly. He leapt expertly to the side, right as the dog's jaws snapped. L had expected the sound of fangs clashing against fangs. But instead, there was the sound of the dog's canines grounding against some sort of metal. Immediately afterwards, there was a loud snapping sound.

Wide-eyed, L risked a glance towards the dog. It was whimpering in pain, three-quarters of the chain dangling from its mouth. _The chain… i-it broke… I'm free!_ L realized. Before the dog could even blink, the black cat dashed off, the remaining quarter of the chain flying behind him, occasionally slapping against his spine. The dog didn't even bother chasing him. Excitement coursed through L's body as he ran. He had no idea where he was going. He was so happy that he was free that the general direction in which he was heading was unimportant to him at the moment; all he wanted to do was run, run away from the tree which he was sure would haunt his memories for months.

When he finally recollected all common sense, he realized that he was no longer near any type of foliage. Buildings towered over him, making him feel unbelievably small. The surface underpaw was cold and rough, gradually scraping his pads raw. Right beside the ground that L was walking on was the same type of ground that he had seen his master's car drive on. And, indeed, cars were rushing past on that very surface.

L padded along, intimidated by the size of the buildings. They stretched on and on for what seemed like forever. The cat was beginning to get tired. His tail sagging behind him, he wearily searched for a place where he could remain out of sight as he slept. It didn't take all too long. By the time L had found an indent in the rows of buildings, one that had absolutely no light source, the sun was only a sliver of yellow that peeked out from behind a couple of especially tall buildings.

The ebony feline dragged himself into the farthest corner in the alleyway. The sound of car horns blaring pierced through his ears. He pressed his chin into the pavement, covering his ears with his paws. It didn't completely prevent the sound, but it would have to do. At least it dulled down the volume of the sound. Sighing, L fell into yet another uncomfortable slumber that contained no dreams whatsoever. His sleep was another one of empty darkness, one that matched the feeling in his heart.


	3. Rescue

**Feline Faults**

**ChipsAhoyPup**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note. Never have, never will. (This doesn't stop me from wishing I did, though.)**

The sun rose, and L rose with it. He stretched his stiff body, his forepaws reaching forward, his spine arching up. A yawn escaped his jaws. He stood straight again, his gaze drifting upwards toward the sun. He instinctively flinched when the blinding rays made contact with his eyes.

_Time to find some food and water,_ L decided, shaking out his ebony fur. He drowsily padded out of the alleyway. Cars were already buzzing up and down the pavement, and people busily swarmed the sidewalks. L stared with wide eyes, feeling more lost than ever. Too many pairs of legs, too many bodies, too many people…!

"Kitty!" A young human shouted as he passed, stretching a hand out towards L. The cat's eyes widened even more, and he stumbled backwards, panic clear in his expression. The mother of the child said something about fleas; L was still backing away, out of hearing range.

_People… are everywhere… _L shook his head, trying to push away the fear that was rising up in his chest. No. He had to get through this. He couldn't stay in this alleyway all day. He would die without any food or water.

Gathering up all his courage, L charged forward, out of the alleyway. As he entered the crowd of feet, he found himself bouncing over shoes and scrambling out of the way of giant boots. It didn't take long for him to break out of the throng of people. L sighed in relief, his ears flattening in exhaustion. Just getting out of the alleyway took a lot of energy out of him.

_Now to find something to satisfy my hunger and thirst,_ L thought, feeling more confident than usual. He walked with his head held high and his ears erect. The earlier excitement came back, draining away the exhaustion. As he explored the area, he noticed a small puddle. There had probably been a lot of them, in every spot of the city. But L had been too scared of the large buildings and alarmingly-close cars to notice.

He bounded over to the puddle, lapping the water. He was aware of how germy it was; he could practically taste the rhinovirus cells. But it was either dirty water or no water at all. And if he went with the latter, he wouldn't live much longer. When you're on the verge of dying, you can't be picky. L drank his fill, and when he finished, there was barely any liquid left on the ground.

Feeling somewhat satisfied, the obsidian feline sprang forward, away from the nearly-dry puddle. He scampered down the sidewalk aimlessly. He didn't care where he was going; just as long as he ran into food at some point or another. Then, the least expected thing happened. "Woof woof!" The sound came from the direction in which L was racing towards.

The cat skidded to a halt; the dog heading in the opposite direction, however, didn't seem willing to stop. He barreled into poor little L, pinning him to the ground. L yowled, terror gripping him as tightly as the dog was. He frantically began clawing at the golden retriever's face. The dog whimpered in pain, and yet, despite that, he began gently licking L's face.

This stopped L. His paws halted in mid-swipe, and he lay there limply, allowing the dog to cover him in canine slobber. After a full minute of the dog rasping his tongue against the cat's fur and flesh, there was a shout from barely three feet away. "Matt!" The golden retriever froze, pulling his tongue back into his jaws. He didn't loosen his grip on L, though.

The dog picked L up by the scruff. The cat dangled from his jaws, as stiff as a rock. The dog pointed his nose towards the sky as he walked, as if L was an award that he had won. L closed his eyes, trying not to focus on the feeling of hovering in the air. And, before he knew it, his belly fur gently brushed against the pavement.

L opened his eyes, placing his paws on the ground simultaneously. He glanced up, and nearly did a double-take. A human towered over him, his clothes darker than L's fur. Except his clothes were shining, the sunlight reflecting off of it. Whereas L's fur was dull, due to the fact that the sunlight was absorbed into it, not reflected off of it. The human had golden hair that hung to its chin. Its eyes were an icy blue, and its expression looked cross.

"Matt, who is this?" It growled; from the sound of its voice, it was a male.

"Woof," The dog barked. L assumed that the dog's name was Matt. That would explain why the human had been calling the name "Matt" as he ran towards them.

L bent his tail so that it was in the shape of an L. He nosed at it, trying to indicate it. He was hoping that this human would take the hint. The human stared, then snorted in amusement, as if the very possibility of a cat understanding a human was absurd. "So, what, is your name L?" L nodded furiously, his tail going back to its normal position.

The human gaped. "Did… did you just…?" L nodded again. "W… wow. You're some smart cat, huh?" L tilted his head from side to side modestly. "Nice to meet you. I'm Mello." The man knelt down, holding a hand out. Said hand had a black material on it, the same type of material that covered Mello's whole body.

"Meow," L replied, putting his paw on top of Mello's hand. _The pleasure is all mine,_ L thought. He wished more than ever that he could speak human language.

"Heh. Matt can't even do that. And he's a dog. He's _supposed_ to know how to shake hands," Mello said with a roll of his eyes. Matt sat there, a dumb expression displayed against his face, his tongue lolling out of the side of his muzzle. L purred in amusement. "So, L, do you have an owner?" L's purring abruptly cut off. His ears flattened and he lowered his gaze, staring at his paws. "I'll take that as a no."

"Meooowww," L whimpered, drawling out his meow due to the distress that he felt. Memories were flooding back. And right after he had succeeded in pushing them away, too.

"Are you a stray?" Mello pressed, not taking the hint. L shook his head. "Well… if you don't have an owner, and you're not a stray, then what are you?"

L looked up again, staring intently into the cobalt eyes of the human. Then, he lifted his head even higher, stretching his neck upwards to reveal the chain embedded in his neck. "Ooh, ow, that looks painful," Mello murmured sympathetically, wincing. "So, were you abandoned or something?" L nodded, letting his head rest on his shoulders again. There was a long, awkward silence.

"I bet you I could find you a better owner," Mello spoke up after a moment. L's head snapped up, and he stared at Mello with large, disbelieving eyes. Was this human serious? He couldn't be serious. He just couldn't be. "In fact, I _promise_ you that I'll find you a better owner," Mello continued. "But, in exchange, you have to do whatever I want for one day. Just one."

L was about to nod in agreement, but his stomach chose that moment to interrupt. Mello laughed. "Okay, how about I get your stomach filled first? You can help me tomorrow, after you've gotten plenty of food and water in your stomach, and a full night's rest."

L purred, rubbing his head against the slick material that covered Mello's legs. Mello laughed once more and gently picked L up, cradling him in his arms. "Come on, you. Let me show you where you're going to live for these next two days," Mello cooed, stroking the cat's ear with an index finger. L couldn't hold back the purr that exploded from his throat. Mello whistled quietly, and Matt instantly stood up, loyally padding beside his master.

L kept his eyes on the path ahead. His irises shone with happiness, for the first time in four days.


	4. Mission

**Feline Faults**

**ChipsAhoyPup**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note. Never have, never will. (This doesn't stop me from wishing I did, though.)**

**A/N Please note that I am against animal cruelty. I am in the Animal Society, a club in my school. In the club, we went to the flea market one day and went around collecting money for animal shelters. I brought my dog with me. He just loved the attention. **

**But, as I was saying, everything and anything that happens in this story that can be related to animal cruelty… It's not something I agree with. It's simply crucial to the plot. If you are personally offended by this story due to the relations with animal cruelty, then just don't read it, I suppose. But the story's FICTION. Which means it DIDN'T REALLY HAPPEN. (Heck, the SITE'S even called fanFICTION.) So no animals were harmed in the making of this story.**

**All I'm trying to say is this: I understand why this story would upset certain people. And I'm sorry. I hate animal cruelty as much as an ant hates a magnifying glass.**

L jolted awake, panic-stricken. It took him a good couple of minutes to slow down his rapidly-beating heart. He had had a nightmare, which, of course, was about his previous master. It was exactly what had actually happened, except it was faster. It began with that fateful night where he was chained to a tree. The three days following replayed in his head on fast-forward, until finally, the dog came hurdling at him. And at that point, he had woken up.

Panting, the black cat shook his fur out in an attempt to shake off the nightmare. It didn't take much; the nightmare began evaporating from his memory, faster and faster, until finally, he had no idea why he was so scared in the first place.

"L? Are you awake?" Someone called from the other room. At first, L instinctively thought it was his master. But then, he recalled everything that happened. Including the memory of the day before. The day that he was brought into this temporary shelter.

"_Okay. This is me and Matt's house," Mello cheerfully announced, placing L on the carpeted floor. The cat surveyed his surroundings._

_The carpet was a dull brown, which didn't match the yellow walls at all. A turquoise couch was pressed up against the right wall of the room, facing the TV that was on the left side of the room. A dog bed sat huddled against the corner of the room; golden fur littered the white wool of the bed. Past this hideous room was the kitchen. The frosted tiles were layered with mutli-colored stains. The counters were an ugly shade of gray, and were cluttered with candy wrappers and unopened chocolate bars. The refrigerator was smeared with a cocoa-colored material (hopefully from the chocolate.) There was a small microwave on one of the counters, hidden by the tower of wrappers. _

_And then there was the bathroom. It didn't even look qualified to be called a bathroom. It was practically a closet with a toilet, sink, and teeny tiny bath tub in it. As for Matt's bathroom… well, it was a pile of newspapers stacked up enough so that it wouldn't leak through the gazette and onto the floor. L wrinkled his nose in disgust; the house smelt like a mixture of sugar and dog droppings._

_All in all, this was _definitely_ not his master's house. Not even close. But, L supposed, if this was going to get him a new owner, then it was worth it._

_L noticed that there was a room that was closed off by a door. Curious, he padded up to it and raised a paw, ready to push it open forcefully. But, before he could move another muscle, Mello snapped, "Don't!" _

_L was lightly shoved aside by a foot, which was evidently connected to Mello. The cat blinked, cocking his head to the side. He stared at Mello with wide, inquiring eyes. "I… I'm sorry. But that's my room. I don't even let _Matt_ in there."_

_Said dog glanced up at his master when he heard his name. Mello smirked, leaning down to stroke his dog's golden head. Matt panted contentedly, his tail violently slashing from side-to-side. L leapt out of the way as the tawny tail of doom came rushing towards him. The cat backed away, watching the two from a respectful distance, his own tail drooping._

_Seeing the two together, pet and master, master and pet, made the memories harshly rebound. It stung him like a swarm of wasps. He desperately wished for his master back. Or, at the very least, a new master, one who would unconditionally love him, as Mello did Matt._

_All L would have to do was get through these next few days, and he'd get what he wished for._

After that, L remembered being treated with a large meal. He had gobbled down as much tuna and steak as he could (Matt's dog food was tuna-and-steak flavored; it wasn't legit tuna and steak, but it was satisfying enough) before dozing off. He slept comfortably for a long time, undisturbed.

And now, here he was, well-slept, fully-fed. He felt fairly refreshed, although he had to breath solely out of his mouth. Otherwise, he'd get a nose-full of unpleasant scents.

"L?" Mello called again, bringing L's thoughts back to the present. He quickly padded into the kitchen. Mello was sitting on the edge of the counter, a chocolate bar hanging out of his mouth. The wrapper was peeled back about a quarter of the way.

"Meow?" L mewed quizzically.

"I did my part of the deal--Well, my first part, but still--Now you have to do your part." Mello smirked into the sugar-filled substance that was still in his mouth. He grabbed a hold of the wrapper part and tugged downwards. The chocolate cracked loudly, a small part of the corner of the bar still gripped between his teeth.

L stared, curiosity gleaming in his eyes. "You see, there's this… guy…" Mello began, gulping the chunk of chocolate that he had been chewing whilst he mused. "And he'll do _anything_ to beat me. But, quite obviously, _I'm_ always the winner. However… I think a little punishment is in order. Something that'll keep him in line.

"So, here's what you have to do." Mello rustled through his pants pocket. When his hand slid out of the pocket, he thrust it forward to reveal a picture of a childlike man with messy white hair. The "child" was wearing silky, white pajamas. He had one leg pressed against his chest, while the other was laying in front of him. It looked rather uncomfortable to L. Toys surrounded the boy, and he held a robot in his hand. The other hand was up near his head, his index finger curled around a lock of white hair.

All in all, it was the oddest human being L had ever seen. "You see this boy?" Mello pointed at the picture. L nodded solemnly. "I want you to go to his house… er, head quarters, I mean. You'll have to sneak past security first. But anyways, once you arrive at his head quarters, don't even give him a chance to blink. Jump at him at the first chance you get. Scratch him up good." Mello beamed, as if the mental image of the albino boy with claw marks gouged in his face was the best thing ever.

"Here's a map to his headquarters." He picked up a piece of paper that had been laying next to him and gave it to L. The cat took it in his mouth. "Oh, and…" Mello rustled through his pocket again, this time pulling out a camera. "Find a way to take a picture. This is the power button,"—an indication towards a button on the top of the camera—"and this is the button you press to take the picture. Oh, and make sure you're pointing this lens right at him, or else you'll be taking a picture of the floor or something.

"You probably won't be able to carry this all, so…" Mello leaped down from the counter, nearly stomping on L. He quickly scrambled out of the way, avoiding the feet that slammed down on the ground next to him. He couldn't help but imagine what would've happened if he had still been standing there. Meanwhile, Mello was rummaging through cabinets in search of something. "Here it is," He declared, holding up a plastic bag. He carefully placed the camera and the picture into the bag. He brought it over to the black cat, slipping the handles over L's head. The bag hung in front of L's chest. "Now all you have to do is lean down and pull something out of the bag when ever you need it." Mello looked triumphant, as if his plan was the most genius plan ever.

L twitched his tail-tip. He was pretending that this would be easy to do. However, he was beginning to panic. He knew that if he made one wrong move, the albino boy's security would attack him. Or, even worse, if he didn't do the job correctly, Mello might never take him to a new master.

"Okay. I expect you back by…" The blonde glanced at the clock. L couldn't help but do the same. It was currently 10:21 a.m. "2 o' clock. That should give you plenty of time. And if you're not back by 2 on the dot, you earn yourself an extra day of doing what ever I want."

L's ears pricked upwards, and he nodded frantically, wide-eyed. One more day of service meant one more day of being without a master. "Now get going," Mello ordered. Fur bristled, the cat trotted briskly towards the door.

Which was locked shut. L blinked his huge, round eyes. He reached a paw up and extended his claws. _Scrriiittcchhh._ There were now four deep, long scars running down along the door. Mello walked in upon hearing the noise which had sounded like fingernails scraping a chalkboard. When he saw the damage done to the door, his eyes widened. The chocolate bar that had been sticking out of his mouth fell, landing softly on the filthy, auburn carpet.

"…Well. I guess it's my fault for not leaving the door open," Mello muttered, heading towards the door. "I can't wait to see what those destructive claws will do to Near," The blonde said to himself with a little chuckle. L figured that 'Near' was the kid that he had to maul.

The chocolate addict opened the door, and L didn't waste any time. He dashed outside, the map still caught in his jaws. It was time to do his part of the deal.


	5. Attack

**Feline Faults**

**ChipsAhoyPup**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note. Never have, never will. (This doesn't stop me from wishing I did, though.)**

L paused briefly to unroll the map. He pinned it down against the sidewalk, inspecting it. Once he was sure he had memorized every nook and cranny of the neighborhood, he nudged the map into a roll again with his nose.

Before it had a chance to blow away, the cat quickly picked it up and stuffed it into the plastic bag. The sun was out today, bright and shining. Most of the puddles had dried out. Not a cloud was in sight. It was truly going to be a nice day.

Too bad L had to spend this nice day tearing a child's face apart. Or, to be more accurate, a man who resembled a child. Oh well. If tomorrow was a nice day, then maybe he and his new master—

L shook his head furiously. Not the time to be thinking about what might happen. He had to accomplish this mission first. If he couldn't, then he would have to face the consequences. And the consequence happened to be not getting a master for another day. So, it would be easier to put his best paw forward and think only about this mission. Otherwise, he'd get his hopes up, expect too much, and be far more depressed if it didn't happen the way he wished it would.

L quickly pushed all thoughts away and began to trot down the sidewalk. He knew exactly where he was going. The map was burned into his memory. He was like a walking GPS.

He made it to the so-called "headquarters" in a matter of minutes. It actually wasn't that far from Mello's house. L was surprised at how tall it was. The chocolate addict wasn't lying when he had said it was a headquarters.

There weren't any security guards in sight. It was doubtful that they were hidden somewhere. Confidence welled up in L's chest, and he padded quickly towards the entrance. This was it. All he had to do was find Near in this building, claw his face off, take a picture, and then—

_BEEEEP!_ L jumped about two feet in the air, fur spiking along his spine. Instinct sent him racing away from the door. He scampered a few feet away from the headquarters. When he finally regained all common sense, he stopped running. Panting, heart racing, he turned so that he was facing the headquarters again.

_What was that beeping sound?_ L wondered, pricking his ears intently. He couldn't hear it anymore. He cautiously slunk back towards the building.

Nothing.

Curious, he padded forward a little more. Then some more. Then some more. He continued padding a couple of steps at a time until he reached the entrance again. His ears flattened anxiously as he slowly reached a paw towards the door.

_BEEEEP!_ L didn't run this time. But he couldn't stop his fur from bristling. He backed away a bit, the sound still ringing in his ears even though it had stopped.

Footsteps echoed through the building. L's eyes widened. He noticed a small set of stairs that led all the way up the building. It was on the exterior of the building, which dumb-founded the cat. But he didn't have time to admire it. He shot up the stairs as fast as possible, his claws lightly tapping against the metal as he did so. It didn't take long before he arrived at the top of the metal staircase.

L poked his head through the railing, staring down at the door. A man stood in front of the door, surveying the area. The cat backed away, turning towards where the staircase had led him to. A window. It was cracked open only the slightest bit.

Luckily, L was abnormally skinny. So much so that his ribs were poking out, stabbing against his flesh. The cat pushed his nose through the crack in the window, peering inside. Nobody was in sight. Tail twitching in relief, he squeezed through, landing gingerly on his paws.

_I wonder where that kid is,_ L thought, crouching as he stalked forward. He was attempting to stay silent, but the plastic bag rustled obnoxiously every time he moved a muscle. Ears folded back, he met the end of the hall. Curious, he snuck a glance around the corner.

Sure enough, there sat the exact boy from the picture. One of his hands were positioned near his head, twirling a piece of white hair delicately, while the other hand was placing dominos in a complex design that encircled him.

_I doubt I'd be able to sneak up on him with this bag. What do I do?_ L wondered, his confidence lacking as he shifted in place. The bag whispered against his furry chest. _I can't leave the bag behind, or he'll have evidence. He could use fingerprints, and it would definitely lead to Mello. Why hadn't he given me something smaller and quieter? I can't do this, it's too noisy, the boy'll know, his guards will tackle me, he'll—_

_No. I can do this._ L poised a determined glare towards the unsuspecting boy. _No use sneaking up though. I should probably just sprint straight at him. I doubt he'd have enough time to react._

The plan seemed logical enough. The cat bundled all his muscles together, making sure that his aim would be spot-on. Then, he sprang forward, a burst of black lightning. He felt the wind forcing his ears and whiskers backwards. His tail was tucked underneath his stomach, making him more agile and swift.

Just as he was about to reach Near, just as he was about to leap, just as he was about to sink his claws into the flesh of the albino, something hit him with the force of ten dogs combined. At the same time, a loud _bang!_ rang through the room. The air was knocked out of his lungs, and L tumbled backwards. His claws hit the linoleum floor, and he skidded backwards, trying to catch his balance and breath at the same time. His abdomen ached in agony, and he let out a small cry as he collapsed onto his spine.

"Nice save, Gevanni," A raspy, childish voice said. L could tell it was Near without even having to look up. The cat panted heavily, the pain pulsing throughout his veins, unlike any pain he had ever felt before. It was a wonder he was still alive.

"I… I didn't mean to shoot it… I-it's just a c-cat," A young man stammered.

"Cat or not, it threatened my life. You were trained to hurt anything that threatened me, correct?" Near asked, with such coldness that it made L flinch.

"Y-yes, but—"

"So you did your job perfectly. You should be proud, not upset."

"It… it's critically wounded… If we don't get it to a vet, it might—"

"Die? Yes, that is certainly a possibility. Serves it right for attacking people without reason," Near growled. "But, now that I think about it, it might belong to somebody. And we don't need a lawsuit on our hands."

"I see a collar around it's neck… it looks like it's buried deep in," Gevanni said quietly a moment later. From the source of his voice, he was kneeling next to L's wounded body.

_Why am I still alive? Can't… can't someone… just kill me? Get it over with? _L whined inwardly as he stirred.

"How deep did the bullet impale it?"

"Not too deep. It's still alive."

"Then take it to the vet before it dies."

"But, I thought you said—"

"That I don't want to get a lawsuit from its owner. Now go."

Next thing L knew, he was being carried. He whimpered, trying to force himself into slumber, to numb the pain. But the unconsciousness wasn't coming willingly. "I'm sorry, little kitty. I didn't mean to hurt you," L heard the man who was carrying him whisper into his ear. The cat flicked said ear to let the man know the apology had been acknowledged.


	6. Evidence

**Feline Faults**

**ChipsAhoyPup**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note. Never have, never will. (This doesn't stop me from wishing I did, though.)**

**A/N This is probably the first chapter I've done that isn't really following L. Instead, it's focused more on Near and Mello. I apologize for that, since I'm sure most of you would rather find out what happened to L. But, hey, these two advance the plot a lot more than L would at this point.**

**Warning: there's bad language in this chapter. Mello's a bit of a potty-mouth. **

As Gevanni left, the plastic bag that had previously been wrapped delicately around the cat's neck drifted to the ground. Near stared, then inched towards it cautiously, as if there might be a grenade in the bag that would explode as soon as he close enough.

When he finally advanced enough to be able to reach it, he shoved his hand into the bag. The first thing he pulled out was a camera. He inspected it closely. He had an urge to rip out the little battery box in the back, in case there was an explosive instead of batteries. But he dismissed the idea. He was just being paranoid. After all, who would put a rigged camera in a plastic bag around a cat's neck?

The albino dug through the bag once more. His fingers grabbed hold of a piece of paper instead of a chunk of plastic this time. When he pulled it out, he did a double take. There, in his hand, was a picture of himself.

"Why would a cat have a picture of me?" Near muttered to himself, wrapping a lock of dove-white hair around his pointer finger. Wondering if there was anything else useful in the bag, he grabbed it and held it upside down, dumping out the remaining contents. He was fairly disappointed when all that came out was a rolled-up map.

"The only revealing piece of evidence is this picture," He said, holding the picture as close to his eyes as possible. "I only know of two people who would be able to obtain a picture of me. And I doubt Roger would go to such extreme measures to injure me. So that only leaves…"

* * *

A certain blonde was tossing kibble to his hyperactive dog. Matt would leap up and, with acute precision, catch the small edible object in his jaws each time one was thrown. His landing, however, was not so graceful. His front paws would hit the ground, and he'd instantly lose his balance. Then his hind paws would flail around in the air before he tumbled forward into a furry yellow-brown heap of fur.

Just when Mello was about to throw the fourth piece of kibble, the telephone rang. He blinked, carelessly dropping the dog treat. He turned and headed towards the telephone, the sound of Matt clumsily charging at the fallen food echoing behind him.

"Hello?" Mello said as soon as he put the phone against his ear.

"Hello, Mihael Keehl." Mello stiffened. He was almost never called by his full, real name. And the cold, familiar voice made him even more tense.

"Nate River," The blonde growled through gritted teeth. "What do you want?"

"It would appear that you've sent a cat after me," Near stated calmly. It wasn't even a question.

"What makes you say that?" Mello asked as innocently as possible, quickly putting up a facade. Matt was sitting by his side now, panting and staring up loyally at his master.

"First of all, you're the only one who would hold enough of a grudge against me to do something so pathetic." Mello glared at thin air. How dare Near call him pathetic?! "Secondly, I found my picture in that stupid plastic bag you gave him. You and Roger are the only ones who would've had that picture."

"Oh, really? Then what if Roger was the one who did it? Why do you have to go and accuse people of stuff that they may not have done?" He asked casually, twirling the telephone cord in between his fingers. "We must never assume that which is incapable of proof."

"I have proof. I just told you. Roger wouldn't be so stupid as to—"

"Can you stop calling me stupid, you asshole?!" Mello snapped. "So what if I sent a cat to kill you? Did he scratch you up nicely? Did he make you cry like the little spoiled brat you are?"

"Actually, no. He's at the veterinarian right now. I guess he doesn't handle bullet wounds very well." Near said it so nonchalantly that it caused Mello to grow silent.

"You… you shot him?" The chocolate-addict stammered.

"Well, no, Gevanni did. Right in the stomach. I expect that it'll take him a good while to recover. To be honest, I'm not very proud about injuring an animal, even if _I_ didn't do it. Animal cruelty is a crime, but then, I guess this would count as self-defense. Nevertheless, your precious kitten is at the vet right now."

"…You're such a prick," Was all Mello could say. Before the other could answer, he slammed the phone down onto the receiver. "Fucking Near, ruining my fucking plans…" He begrudgingly hooked a crimson-colored leash up to Matt's green collar. "C'mon, Matty, we're going to teach that cat a lesson for screwing with my plans."

**A/N By the way, there's a new poll up on my profile! I'd love it if my faithful reviewers could vote. Thanks!**


	7. Awaken

**Feline Faults**

**ChipsAhoyPup**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note. Never have, never will. (This doesn't stop me from wishing I did, though.)**

The darkness that L had been swimming in dissolved, and he could see again. He scampered to his paws. Or, he attempted to. He let out a small mew, a mixture of pain and surprise, and collapsed the instant he stretched his waist upward. _Wha… _The cat twisted his neck to the side and inspected his body. He didn't notice anything out-of-place.

Then he realized that the pain had radiated outward from his stomach area. Cautious, he rolled over onto his back and tilted his chin towards his chest.

_What is that?_ A thin stripe slinked its way up from the middle section of his abdomen, stopping abruptly right before his ribs. A scab was forming at the base of the stripe, which looked similar to a strip of lace.

Tentative, L stretched his neck forward. When his muzzle finally reached his stitched-up wound, his anterior was curled up while his posterior lay limply underneath it. Despite his uncomfortable position, he began rasping his tongue against the scab.

He only got a couple of licks in before the sound of a door slamming open echoed through the corridors. Only then did L notice his surroundings. He was trapped up in a small kennel. In front of him were metal bars with gaps in between that would just barely allow his paw to squeeze through. The sound of meowing came from every inch of the room. L recognized this as a cat kennel. The only time he had been here before was when his owner had decided to go on a vacation, but that was only for a couple of days.

An all-too-familiar voice shouted, "I don't have identification that he's mine, but he _is_! Who else would adopt a cat with a bullet hole in his stomach?"

"I'm sorry, sir, but unless you provide identification, you _have_ to pay 9275 yen* in order to take him home," Another voice responded, this one monotone and unfamiliar.

"…Fine. Here's your fucking yen." There was a moment of silence, obnoxious meowing the only sound to keep L company. He pricked his ears and could faintly hear the rustling of a wallet. The crinkling sound faded quickly into footsteps that advanced towards L.

The metal bar door in front of him slowly creaked open. Before L could move a muscle, two quick yet gentle hands grabbed him. He was gingerly lifted out of the cage and handed to a different pair of hands.

"Hello again." L glanced up. He was greeted with a smile, which wasn't all so pleasant when mixed with the stench of chocolate. The cat tried not to openly show his disgust, but Mello must've noticed his nose wrinkle some, because his smile turned into a frown. "Sorry. Do you not like the smell of sugar?"

L blinked blankly. It wasn't so much that he didn't like sugar. In fact, he'd never tasted it before. The reason he didn't like the stench was because the first and only time he had smelled it was when he was in Mello's apartment, and Mello's apartment also smelled of urine. Not a nice mixture.

Before L could respond with an action of some sort, Mello turned and briskly walked out of the cat kennel. The meows that had previously drowned almost everything out dissolved into the pitter-pattering of rain. L tilted his head, twitching a bit when a droplet of rain lightly struck his ear. It hadn't been raining when he was carried to the vet.

"You were unconscious for a couple of days," Mello explained, seeming to sense the confusion pulsing from the feline's fur. "I tried to get you back from the vet's, but they told me that you weren't recovered enough. Plus, I didn't have proof that I owned you. After a day, without warning, they sent you over to a kennel, and I had to track you down."

A strong gust suddenly blew against L's face. It was cool to the touch, breezing past his fur on his face, chest, and… neck. When L felt the wind hit his neck, his eyes widened. He tilted his head downwards and stared in disbelief.

Where his collar had previously been embedded, there now was a patch of scarred flesh, which wound around his whole neck. "Oh yeah, and while you were at the vet, they said the collar was a hazard. So they shaved the fur around your neck and had to cut the collar off, along with some of your… er… skin…" L winced at the description. But even though it sounded painful, it didn't currently hurt.

"By the way," The blonde who was carrying L started out-of-the-blue as they approached his apartment, "I have decided that, since you gave my mission your best shot and literally took a bullet for me, you will get your new master ASAP."

L gaped, eyes wide. Surely he wasn't serious? The cat had failed his mission, miserably, and had even forced Mello to fork over money just to get him back. But Mello wasn't the type to joke around, and was usually blunt. Realizing that he was finally getting the master he had wanted since he was first tied to the tree, he became elated and relieved.

The chocolate addict opened the door. L expected a certain golden retriever who shared the house to jump all over his owner. But the enthusiastic canine didn't come bounding out from the kitchen. The sound of barking came from Mello's bedroom. L instantly suspected that something was wrong. Mello said that he never let anyone in his room, including Matt. The cat watched as Mello slowly walked towards a table that had a rope, a handkerchief, and a cardboard box.

Warning bells rang in L's head. He clawed at his captor's arms, fear replacing the sense of relief and safety that had overwhelmed him only moments ago. Before he could do any serious damage to Mello, though, something was wrapped around his paws. It tightened violently, and his four limbs were pulled together.

L hissed, simultaneously thrusting his head towards Mello's arm again. He tried to bite him, to sink his teeth into this traitor's flesh. But he knew he failed once more when he felt a piece of cloth smother his mouth. Mello tied the back of the cloth to the back of L's head.

The cat was pulled close to Mello's face, so close that he could see the deviant look of triumph sparkling in the traitor's eyes. "You'll get your master, alright," he hissed. "So long as you can stay alive until he opens the door."

The feline was tossed carelessly into the cardboard box, which instantly shut. The sound of something being ripped and placed on the top of the box filled the uncomfortable, agonizing silence. As L lay there, neglected, abused, immobile, he could only think one thing: _I will never trust humans again._

**A/N 9275 yen = 100 US dollars. I did research, and 100 dollars is typically how much you're supposed to pay for a cat at a shelter.**


	8. Discovery

**Feline Faults**

**ChipsAhoyPup**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note. Never have, never will. (This doesn't stop me from wishing I did, though.)**

L lay in the box, his feeble mews of protest muffled by the piece of cloth that was wrapped around his muzzle. He was thrown against the cardboard walls of the box as it rattled from the motion of Mello carrying it. Clearly the human was purposefully shaking the box back and forth just to torture the cat more.

To make it worse, there were no air holes in the box. The cloth that covered both L's mouth and nose at the same time wasn't helping much. As he felt the oxygen slowly drain from his confinement, he grew dizzy. His head got uncomfortably stuffy, and he found it harder and harder to keep his eyes open.

Soon, the box was dropped. Hard. L squeaked in pain as gravity caused him to smack against the top of the box before dropping to the bottom again. He was panting heavily, struggling to stay conscious. He knew that the moment he let himself slip into sleep that tugged at his paws, he would never wake up.

But it was only a few minutes before L couldn't fight it any longer. His eyelids drooped, and he was enveloped in darkness that was much more comfortable than it should be.

* * *

"You did a good job today," A sheriff said, staring proudly at a young police officer who stood anxiously in front of his desk. The name tag on the sheriff's desk read _Soichiro Yagami_.

"Thanks, Dad." The brunette officer smiled pleasantly at Soichiro.

"You may go home now." The officer dipped his head slightly, a gesture of gratefulness. Then he turned and began to leave. But he barely made it to the door before the sheriff added, "I'm proud of you, Light."

"…Yeah, I know," Light answered quietly. Not bothering a second glance, Light hurried out of his father's office. He made sure to leave the police station as quickly and casually as possible, avoiding eye contact with the other officers. A couple of them praised him for a job well done, and each time he just muttered a small "thanks" without looking at them.

When he finally made it out of his workplace, Light sighed in relief. Sure, he loved his job, but sometimes it got way too stressful, and he found himself looking forward to the end of the day. Grumbling to himself, the officer clambered into his car.

Unfortunately, right as he did so, his cellphone went off. Light flinched, then quickly fished it out of his pocket. He groaned out loud when he saw who's name was displayed on the caller I.D. Reluctantly, the brunette flipped the cellphone open and pressed it against his ear. "Hey, Misa."

"Liiiight," An overly cheerful voice chirruped on the other side of the phone. "I just got finished my photo shoot, and I figured that you were done work right about now, so I decided to call," She babbled. Light was barely listening to anything she said, but made sure to slip in a couple of "uh-huh"s and "yeah"s so that it would seem like he was grasping her every incoherent word.

_Goddammit, why did I marry her, again?_ Light thought grumpily as he struggled to tune out her voice and focus on the road. _Oh yeah, because I was stuck in a rut and she's a stupid rich girl who falls for me every time I blink an eyelash. _ He silently sighed, making sure not to do it outwardly. Otherwise, his stupid wife would catch on. Well, actually, it would probably be drowned out by her mindless babbling and she wouldn't notice in the least.

"That's great, Misa," Light was finally able to interject. "I'm at the house right now, so I'll meet you there, okay?"

"But Liiiiiight, I won't be home for another hour," She whined. It was taking all Light's self-control to not throw the cellphone at the windshield.

"You can live an hour without hearing my voice, can't you?" He asked through gritted teeth.

"Noooo," She complained.

"Just deal with it." And he shut his phone. He wasn't worried about her being angry. She was never angry at him. _Ever_. He was sure that if he slapped her across the face, she would believe that she deserved it and do nothing at all about it. Not even call the police as a rebuttal.  
Well, technically he _was_ the police, but that wasn't the point.

Light got out of his car, shut the door of the car, and walked around it. He stared blankly at his apartment. He had a rich wife, and yet, they lived in such a dump. He tried to keep it as organized as possible, and indeed, it was quite clean for an apartment. But nevertheless, it was an apartment, and those were always dirty on the outside.

The officer approached his house, pulling his house keys out of his pocket. But just as he was about to stick them into the lock, he noticed a large cardboard box was in the way of the door. "Huh. That's weird. I didn't order anything," The brunette said to himself, staring curiously at the box. "…Oh, it's probably more cosmetics for Misa."

Sighing, he crouched down to pick it up. He grunted as he lifted it off the ground. "This is heavier than makeup is supposed to be." Mumbling to himself again, he used one hand to hold the box and the other to shove the key into the lock and twist it. The door unlocked with a click, and Light pushed it open, stomping into the house. By now, he was fairly sure that the box wasn't for Misa. It was too heavy.

"I hope it's not another prank. Curse my ancient relatives for my horrid last name*," Light grumbled. Slightly irritated now, he inspected the top of the box. It was taped shut unprofessionally and tightly. It looked like he'd have to use a chainsaw to get the box open.

Not wanting to destroy what ever was in the box, just in case it wasn't a prank, Light grabbed a pair of safety scissors instead. He carefully slit the layers of tape off the top of the box. When all the tape was gone, he stared at the bare brown top of the box. He hesitated for a moment before peeling the cardboard top open.

"Oh my God…" If this was a prank, it was the cruelest one Light had ever seen.

***Light's last name: I think about 87 percent of the Death Note fandom already know this, especially the yaoi fangirls. But let me help the 13 percent out: Spell Yagami backwards. **

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**If you don't get Imagay, you're doing it wrong.**


	9. Trust

**Feline Faults**

**ChipsAhoyPup**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note. Never have, never will. (This doesn't stop me from wishing I did, though.)**

**A/N: I apologize so much for the long long delay. I'm sure I've lost plenty of readers due to this.**

**By the way, I enjoy putting lyrics to a song that I've been addicted to recently. I stopped doing that for a bit, but I'm going to start doing it again.**

_**"Can we pretend that airplanes in the night sky are like shooting stars? I could really use a wish right now, wish right now, wish right now." ~Airplanes by BoB and Hayley Williams.**_

Light didn't hesitate in tugging the piece of cloth off the cat's muzzle. He had begun a quiet chant of "Shitshitshit" ever since he had opened the box to reveal the passed-out black kitten, whose paws were tied together with rope and muzzle covered in a cloth. He untied the rope before attempting to save the cat.

He quickly opened the cat's jaws so that its mouth was gaping open. Then he pressed his lips against the cat's open mouth and puffed air into its lungs. The cat still didn't react after 15 puffs. Desperate, Light pumped the cat's chest gently 15 times. He reverted back to the mouth-to-mouth procedure when the cat still didn't move.

After a couple of these rotations, the cat's ear twitched. Its eyes slowly opened and it sat up, breathing regularly as if nothing had happened. It looked half surprised and half confused.

Relieved, Light cooed to the cat as if talking to a five-year-old, "Hello there."

The cat's fur bristled, eyes widening. In an instant, it had leapt off the table and scrambled underneath the couch, trembling. Light stared sympathetically at the poor kitten, already guessing why it was hiding.

_Poor thing must've had a rough time with its last owner. If I were in its position, I wouldn't trust just anyone either,_ The officer thought.

* * *

L watched the human cautiously from his safe haven underneath the sofa. He was surprised that he was even alive, and then, to his horror, he had realized that he was back in Hell, with another human that would abandon him or hurt him.

After a small moment of silence, the human asked, "Are you hungry?" L didn't so much as twitch. "...Well, I'm sure you are, since you've been trapped in a box for who-knows-how-long. I'll get you some food."

With that, he turned around and walked away, leaving L alone. _I bet he doesn't have any proper cat food... Oh well. Doesn't look like he has a dog, so at least I won't be fed that icky kibble. _

* * *

Light rustled through the cabinets, trying to look for anything that was suitable for a cat's picky taste buds. "Let's see, what do cats eat, other than cat food?" He mumbled to himself.

"Definitely not potato chips... Those are mine anyways... Hmm... We don't have anything fish-related, but we do have milk. I'll give it that as a drink. And I guess... Hopefully it'll be okay with eating Misa's leftovers."

Light ended up scooping the rest of Misa's leftover cowboy stew into a bowl and pouring milk into another bowl.

He walked back into the living room. The cat was still under the sofa. "Here, kitty, kitty," He called quietly, placing the two bowls on the ground and backing away some.

The cat didn't move an inch.

Light sighed, tiptoeing back towards the bowls. He carefully pushed them closer towards the cat, who was watching him with wary eyes.

Then he backed up again. This time there was more distance between him and the bowls. He watched patiently for a moment. But the cat still didn't budge. The brunette couldn't help but smirk a bit. "Oh, I see. You're shy, huh? Don't want me to watch?" One of the cat's ears twitched. "Okay, I'll go back into the kitchen... I'm hungry anyway."

Still smirking a bit, Light walked back into the kitchen and pretended to occupy himself with staring into the fridge.

* * *

L blinked, trying to decide whether he should eat the food or not. This human hadn't seemed to harm him... yet. Even so, he would have to keep his eye on the human. And he knew he could never, _ever_ trust the human, for fear that he would wind up heartbroken, on the streets, once more.

His stomach growled loudly and obnoxiously, snapping him out of his thoughts. _Better eat,_ He thought.

L glanced around, as if expecting someone to jump him the instant he left the couch. The human was still in the kitchen. Time to eat now before he came back.

L dashed for the food. He began gulping down as much of the beef and pasta as possible in an effort to finish them before the human got back. He was able to finish in record time. But now he was thirsty.

He began lapping up the milk. But since it would splash all over if he rushed, he forced himself to slowly drink it. The human still hadn't come back. L felt himself relax as he continued to lap up the white liquid.

* * *

Light listened closely. He heard a sound that was the equivilant to a drop of water repeatedly dripping off of a faucet. He could only think of one possiblity for what that noise was:

The cat was drinking the milk.

For some reason, this caused a sense of pride to wave over the cop. He had saved a cat, fed it, hydrated it. If he hadn't done any of this, that poor, adorable little kitten would have died.

_If I peek out of the kitchen at it, will it notice? _Light thought. _...Probably. And anyway, I should probably let it finish drinking. It wouldn't be a good idea to interrupt him._

So Light waited. And waited. And waited. The lapping noise seemed to go on for forever.

Finally, he got impatient and figured that the cat had drank enough to live. Light peered out of the kitchen. He couldn't help but smile when he saw the black cat lapping at the milk, black muzzle splotched with white from the milk.

_It's so cute, _Light thought, despite his usual cool demeanor. _I wonder what its gender and name is._

It was just then that the cat noticed him. Its fur bristled in fear as it turned and high-tailed it back to cover. It quickly ducked back under the sofa.

"Sorry," Light told the kitten. "I guess I'll just talk out loud now that you know I'm here... even though you don't understand me."

The cat just stared at him.

"I wonder... what's your name? If you even have one. It looks like you were treated poorly." The cat's ears flattened at that. To Light's surprise, it padded out into the open without reason.

Then it turned and sat down, its tail at an odd angle that made it look like an L.

An L...

"Are you trying to tell me something?" Light asked, feeling stupid for a supposed genius. The cat nodded, causing Light to jump. "I... I wasn't being serious... can... can you actually understand me?" The cat nodded again.

"Well... that'll make things a whole lot easier. You were trying to tell me your name, right?"

The cat nodded again, starting to look tired from nodding so much.

"So... an L... What's next?"

The cat merely blinked.

"...Your name only consists of one letter?"

Nod nod.

"So your name is L?"

Nod. Nod.

"...Okay... It's nice to meet you, L. I'm Light." Light held out his hand towards the cat. L tilted its head to the side, as if trying to decide something, before cautiously putting its paw on Light's hand. Light laughed as he gently wrapped his fingers around its paw and shook its paw a couple of times.

"That," He announced as he let go of L's paw, "is called a handshake. Or, in your case, a pawshake, I guess."

L blinked, staring at its own paw. Curious, it put its paw out towards Light. Light laughed again, gingerly grabbing L's paw and shaking it once more. L purred.

"So, now that that's out of the way..." Light cleared his throat before awkwardly asking, "Are you a girl or a boy?"

L lay down on the ground, about to roll over, when Light quickly interrupted, "No, I don't want to figure it out _that_ way!"

L stared at him, confused, as if asking, _Well then how will you know?_

"How about... how about you either twitch your ear or lash your tail? Twitching your ear means girl, lashing your tail means boy." Light suggested.

He watched the cat intently. L's tail lashed without hesitation. Light smiled. "Boy. Okay. I don't know if you can tell human genders apart, but I'm a boy too."

The cat looked Light up and down. The brunette watched, feeling slightly uncomfortable and awkard. L seemed to notice this. As if he was attempting to make Light feel better, he put his paw out again.

"You really like handshakes, don't you?" Light chuckled, shaking L's paw.

For the rest of the day, L didn't return to the sofa. He also kept holding his paw out for Light to shake, but he didn't mind at all. In fact, he found it utterly adorable.

But the thing Light dreaded most finally happened.

His wife came home.

**A/N This chapter doesn't satisfy me as much as the other ones have. D:**


End file.
